2D Resistivity Technique in Exploring Soil Contamination Zones, Kwashe Area, Duhok, North of Iraq

Abstract

The impacts of leachate on the soil count as one of the main environmental issues, especially near waste dump areas. The Kwashe dumpsite is located in the Semel district, west of Duhok City. Different types of waste had accumulated from medical, construction, and household materials without any barrier or control of the contamination. Wastewater flows on the surface and percolates downward all over the area. Geophysical methods provide high-resolution data to investigate subsurface environmental conditions with no disturbance in the materials. In this study, the 2D resistivity technique by Ohm-Mapper device (G-858G) with a dipole-dipole arrangement was utilized along six resistivity profiles. the system uses one Transmitter to couple an active current signal to the ground and the voltage difference is recorded by one Receiver with separation distances of 2.5, 5.0, 10.0, and 15.0 m. The resistivity data from MagMapper software was transferred to Res2dinvx32 software to create an inversion model for the subsurface. The results showed two main parts: The upper part consists of soil material mixed with recent deposits and fill materials formed of alluvium deposits with resistivity values of 15-50 Ohm.m at a depth between 0.25-3.0 m. The bottom section represents leachate of bowl-shaped anomalies of very low resistivity values of less than 1.0 Ohm.m at various depths. The type of materials in the left and right edges of each of the models represent the main weak zone for leachate infiltration.